Theatrics, Jazz and Shoegazing!

The past few weeks has brought a wide range in musical styles, ranging from Alice Cooper theatrics, through 20's and 30's Jazz and ending up with French shoegazing!

First up we had Alice Coopers Nightmare, formed from some long established musicians and bands to initially support the TOMA Fund charity. I got involved by offering to develop the website and produce some promotional material and naturally my wife (Sheelagh) and I would be going along to the gig at The Customs House in South Shields on April 11th.

Took the Metro all the way round from Whitley Bay to South Shields and it didn't take anywhere near as long as we feared it might so we headed to The Steamboat for pre gig drinks. Now I have to say something about this pub, quirky doesn't do it justice, decked out with shipping memorabilia including a rather bizare display cabinet in one of the rooms I can recommend the pub as being well worth a visit. Oh and the choice of ales was excellent too!

A couple of drinks later we headed down to the Customs House, a few people milling around and a pretty good atmosphere as everyone smiled and greeted each other.

We took our seats and waited for the band to appear, typically the start time was delayed so a chance for another drink this time in the Customs House bar. No sooner were the drinks finished than the call was made that the band would be on soon. A fair audience was already seated and we didn't wait long before the band burst on stage. This was everything you would expect from a Alice Cooper tribute band, plus a whole lot more. Every detail, from costumes to props to ghouls and Alice being beheaded, hung, injected and generally 'dealt with' for his misdemeanors. A quick mention must go to Brian Ross of Blitzkrieg and Satan. Not only did he look the part but his vocals were spot on too. In fact the whole band were excellent. It was a great night raising money for a worthy cause.

Just over a week later we were off to see the Vieux Carré Jazzmen celebrating their 60th Anniversary, that's longer than The Rolling Stones!

Okay, I know jazz isn't everyones cup of tea, but these guys can really and I do mean really play. We got a couple of different line ups of the band as they brought in band members old and new. The VCJ ran through three great set of Blues and Jazz standards which not only got the audience swinging along but towards the end of the set most of them were up on their feet dancing or maybe more accuratley 'jiving' away to the sounds from the stage.

Though these two gigs had been good, the one I was really looking forward to was Alcest at the Oran Mór in Glasgow.

Travelling up with Sheelagh, we were meeting my son and his girlfriend to take in this one. A filling meal before hand at the Squid and Whale and we were ready for the gig.

There was a support band, Falloch, they were okay from what I remember but the vocals kind of let everything down a bit. Still I hadn't travelled up to Glasgow to see them so it didn't really matter.

Before long Alcest took to the stage opening with Opale from their latest album and they sounded awesome. Tighter than when I'd last seen them and even a bit audience interaction. the set list took in songs from all their 4 albums but the real highlight for me was the encore, a excellent version of Autre Temps and finishing with Deliverance.

This was another of those classic gigs, audience all 'up for it', band on top form and a small venue where sound and vision were excellent.

If you ever get the chance, go see this band you won't be disappointed.

Not yet morons... wait for it!

So it's off up to Glasgow to see the impressive Amaranthe, their set the previous year was easily one of the best gigs of 2014. This time round they would be playing the O2 Academy on Sauchiehall Street.

I really love the West End of Glasgow, lots of great eating (and drinking) places so met my son Rory, who's up there on a Archaeology degree and we headed off to his flat and find somewhere for some eats. A few drinks later we knew it was time to head to the venue, "We'll just take the overground, it's quick" announces Rory, so we head to the station and jump on the train thats coming in to the station, "Only 4 stops" he announces, so I settle back for the short journey and we begin chatting about Warcraft, another shared obsession. I think obsession is the right word for something we've been playing for over 10 years! Anyway after a little while Rory says "have we missed the station" "No" I reply, "we've not stopped for ages now" "We best get off at the next station and find out where we are" So we get up and wander over to the doors at which point the conductor approaches us " Ya canna get off lads, this train is goin' to Dumbarton, it's the express". Rory looks mortified, "I didn't know there was an express" "Aye there's one a day lads, and you're on it, if ya lucky ya can get tha' 6.15pm train back ta Glasgae" So we arrive in Dumbarton at the allotted time, dash across the platform as the train back to Glasgow comes in and settle down for the journey back, I'm thinking so how much will this cost in fares now, along comes the conductor and we produce our tickets. "Get on the express by mistake lads, dinna worry it happens all the time, ya tickets are good". Now there's an attitude completely lacking here in good old England - why oh why did you not vote for independance!!

Any hows we arrrived in time to catch the last couple of songs from opening support band Santa Cruz, they looked very young and clearly had learnt all the 80's hair metal poses but still had some way to go before they're the finished band. Next up were Engel who had a real Spinal Tap moment as their intro music played, ended and only two band members had arrived on stage, there followed a minutes awkward silence before the rest of the band arrived. They started loud and fast but even though they ran through 8 or 9 songs it was obvious they only knew one way to play and it all became a bit dull.

After a short break on came Amaranthe opening up with Digital World from their new album. Live Amaranthe certainly don't lack energy or presence and they launch straight into their set with little preamble. The guitar, bass and drums provide a meaty backdrop, the samples add that pumping beat and the three singers take turns at the front. Henrick Englund prowls the stage menacingly adding his growls to the sound while Jake E has a strong melodic voice carrying a more melodic vibe.

The most impressive singer of the three is the captivating Elize Ryd who is not only good to look at but has a really impressive, strong vocal talent. This is a strange set up indeed but all the band members are obviously enjoying themselves, especially once they see from second song 'Hunger' onwards that their audience is fully up for a party and totally behind every note.

This is one of those nights where the  audience has decided that this band is for them and they sing, scream, bounce up and down and headbang to everything thrown at them. The band respond in kind and can't really take the big smiles off their faces all night. After a set filled with tracks from all three albums, encores are inevitable and include lead track from their new album 'Drop Dead Cynical'. If you want to hear what Amaranthe's sound is all about this is the track to check out. It's an irresistible slice of bonkers metal meets europop with a great riff matched to thumping big beats. All too quickly it was over, for the obligatory early finish to let the clubbers in, but if thats the price I have to pay to see some good live music, then so be it.

Just a quick footnote, on the second day in Glasgow there was to be an eclipse so Rory, myself and his two flatmates all trooped off to a highpoint behind Glasgow University to witness the event. When we arrived a sizeable crowd had gathered, but as luck would have it the skies were partially cloudy and there was no clear view. The eclipse itself was still some 30 minutes away and everyone was looking to the heavens hoping for that break and as the moment of the eclipse approached, you could feel it getting colder and see it darkening, there was the break in the clouds and the disc of the moon had pretty much covered the sun, a cheer went up and everyone applauded and there were smiles and hugs as the clouds hid it all from sight again. So happy that we'd witnessed the event, we headed back in to Glasgow for a late breakfast and a few drinks before I caught the train back to Newcastle, all in all a great couple of days.

Focusing on Hawkwind

I've seen Hawkwind a good few times now, the first being way back in 1972 and they've never failed to entertain with some great music, performance and visuals  Going down to London to see them with my son Dan at Shepherds Bush O2  this was a gig I was looking forward to, especially as this time I'd be seated. So following a Indian at a local eatery we headed to the venue, doors were open and it was beginning to fill up already, looked like being very close to a sell out.

Lets start with the  opening highlight, which were Focus. Arriving on stage the, dare I say it, slightly portly Thijs van Leer took his position behind a classic Hammond, his trusty flute in hand. Opening with House of the King it was well on it's way to be a great 'prog' performance and what tipped it in to something really special was the annncement that the next song would be Eruption a 23 minute epic from 1972's Moving waves album. The sound of the Hammond was just perfect, so warm and deep, Leer's flute playing was at the top of his game. Following up with Sylvia and finishing with a rousing version of Hocus Pocus they had set the scene for a great night.

Hawkwind arrived shortly after and started with a song no one knew. A start that left both Dan and I looking at each other, wondering what was going on, and the visuals were distinctly lack lustre. But they followed that up with Motorway City and We Took the long Step Long Ago so things were looking up only for them to be dashed as they wandered off stage leaving a MAC based electro/drone and a single dancer on the stage (who I admit was talented), and that was it. In fact during the course of the gig the band wandered (were they bored?) offstage three times leaving the dancer and the rather dull electro sound. Now Hawkwind are known for their psychedelic imagery and are considered pioneers of 'space rock' but the lack of visual stimulation disappointed me. The setlist was the main problem though - I realise they have an extensive back catalogue, but looking at the crowd around me, everyone looked confused and there was virtually no atmosphere and no interaction with the audience. Out of a 2 hour set, I only knew 3 or 4 songs.  Dan and I left feeling deflated and surprised as the last time we saw them they were brilliant. This time was dull and unintersting if I'm honest.  I'm not sure why they didn't go 'all out' with the space monsters and dancers this time - perhaps they were on a tight budget? At the end of the gig we were all called the 'true spirit of Hawkwind', well perhaps we were, but sadly it certainly wasn't present from those on the stage.

2013 - a year of gigs in review

Still doing my best to get caught up with all those years of gig going, here's a review of 2013. So that only leaves the years 1979 to 2012 to cover!

2013 kicked off with The Pineapple Thief at The Cluny with an excellent performance, I'll definitely be watching out for any more tours. Picked up a card at the gig that gave me a free download of three acoustic tracks, so thanks for that!

The new album 'All the Wars' is the best yet from this 4 piece and well worth a few quid of your money.

Support came from The Red Paintings from Australia, who although not exactly my taste were certainly interesting.

A trip to Brighton in the August brought with it the opportunity to catch Bosnian Rainbows @ Sticky Mikes Frog Bar - great name, crap venue. With a ceiling height of no more than 8' and a stage raised about 6" from the floor, by the time all the 7' people in Brighton had decided to stand at the front it was time to give up any chance of getting a decent view of the band, which is a real pity because they were excellent, playing almost all of their debut album. Definitely one to watch out for and if they ever come to Newcastle, I'll certainly be there.

August Bank Holiday weekend brought the second Stanley Music Festival and a chance to see Dodgy and a full days music for a fiver, clearly the bargain of the summer! Line up was Dodgy, Mitch Laddie Band, Longsands, Ultimate Bowie, Dust Town Dogs, Leesa Mae and Cryptic Metaphor.

We made a family day out of it and very relaxing it was too, though that may have been the effect of the Marstons Ales and sunshine! Who knew Dodgy had released so much sing-a-long material and even though there were probably only a few hundred people (out of a crowd that peaked at a couple of thousand)  there by the time they came onstage at around 6pm, they played their socks off. We were all very much Staying Out for the Summer!

2013 saw 2 Steven Wilson gigs, the first at The Royal Festival Hall, London and then at Newcastle City Hall. This was on the rather excellent Raven Who Refused to Sing tour. Way up in the gods for the London gig, there with my eldest son Daniel the whole gig was simply awesome Steven Wilson never sounded better. An interesting side note, on bass was Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo fame, now Neverending Story was a huge family favourite when the kids were wee ones and who sang the theme song I hear you ask, well it was Limahl also of Kajagoogoo fame! On to Newcastle and although it was good to be up close, second row seats. It was really too close to enjoy the visuals and with the City Hall only about half full it was a curiously flat evening. Opening with Trains and finishing with Radioactive Toy the gig showcased the 3 solo albums. Although not from either of the two gigs, here's the encore from the tour Radioactive Toy

Going to 11 - or maybe higher!

The days of "Dad, you're too difficult to buy a Christmas gift for" are long gone and on 18th Feb I happily went along to the first of my Christmas presents - The Jesus and Mary Chain performing their debut album Psychocandy.

So it was off into Newcastle for a drink and a bite to eat prior to the gig, headed on to Pink Lane and ventured into The Forth, ordering their 3 for £10.00 taster platter. Some lovely squid in black pepper, perfect with an ice cold cider!

Quick look at the watch, just after 7.30 pm, the support band should be on now (doors were at 7pm) so off on a short walk to the O2 Academy.
Once inside it was pretty clear we must be too early, maybe about 50 people milling around in the venue, ahh well makes it easier to get served at the bar, so JD's 'n' coke duly purchased we made our way to a decent spot, dead centre just in front of the mixing desk. I say 'we' because apparently the missus also benefits from my gig ticket gifts!

After about a 30 minute wait on come the support - The Membranes - a band I've not heard, but I did recognise the singer and bassist ( John Robb) from a few punk documentaries shown late at night on BBC4. A sound reminiscent of early PIL, they played an energetic 'post punk' set and despite imploring the crowd to dance - I suspect this was an ironic request - the crowd stayed rooted to the spot, drinks held firmly in hand. Greeted with appreciative applause, they soon finished their 45 minute set.

By now a sizeable crowd had filled the Academy and as is usual the two 6' 6" members of the crowd decided to stand inches in front of us and off we went on the side step shuffle to try and get a half way decent view.

It was approaching 9.30 pm before The Jesus and Mary Chain took to the stage and singer Jim Reid announced they would be playing  a short set by way of an introduction before performing Psychocandy in full.

They launched into April Skies and were sounding really good, rattling through the set, over far too quickly for me! When they came back, it all went horribly wrong. Everyone apart from the vocals was turned up to '11' and, although you expect distortion from TJaMC this went way beyond listenable. The vocals were completely overwhelmed, totally lost in a sea of distortion and feedback with ever rising volume levels - my ears are still ringing!

Now the O2 has never been great for sound but with this level of volume you really need a sound engineer on top of his or her game; tonight we were just left to suffer and the songs became indistinguishable from one another as the feedback and distortion took centre stage. I don't often leave gigs early, this would be only the third time in some 43 years, but it was becoming painful and to be honest a bit pointless, it was simply just noise. So we left with about 20 minutes of the set still to play. I think if we'd stayed any longer we would be walking out into the cold North East air with bleeding ears!

I don't mind loud, in fact in the right circumstances LOUD is good, but at this gig it just ruined what could have been a classic night.